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The majority of cheese traded in the EU is classified according to the region of production and/or the cheese making methods employed (type of milk etc.). These variations in production methods result in a wide range of cheese types, some of which have favourable properties (e.g. organoleptic characteristics or cooking qualities), and these command a premium price. Where cheese makers wish to protect this type of premium cheese, Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) classification can be obtained according to EC Regulation 2081/92. A major impact of these classifications is that there is a financial incentive for an unscrupulous manufacturer or retailer to sell an 'inferior, non-PDO cheese' as a PDO cheese with the result that fraudsters may pass off non-genuine products as original and charge premium prices.
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There have until recently been no reliable methods available for control of provenance so that the consumer is not currently protected against fraudulent mislabelling. The recent completion of a EU-funded Framework IV project has demonstrated the ability of isotopic and trace element methods to determine geographical origin of diary products.
This project will implement the novel methodology developed in the successful EU/FSA funded project (SMT4-CT98-2236). Analytical data will be collected from 208 samples of 13 authentic UK cheeses with PDO classification followed by statistical evaluation to provide a database with which to verify their geographical origin. Advisors in the project will supply a smaller number of cheeses from Germany, Switzerland and Italy. The analytical data will comprise the measurement of cheese sub fractions by isotope ratio mass spectrometry and the determination of multi-element concentrations of cheeses using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The successful conclusion of this project will permit the FSA to test the authenticity of PDO cheeses in a formal surveillance exercise.
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Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.